Birmingham Metro Player of the Week -- Rashad Louie, Shades Valley

Shades Valley quarterback Rashad Louie threw four touchdowns and ran for another last week against Pelham. He earned the Birmingham Metro Player of the Week honor for that performance in the win against Pelham. (Mark Almond/malmond@al.com)

METRO PLAYER OF THE WEEK: RASHAD LOUIE, SHADES VALLEY

Year: Sophomore

Position: Quarterback

Ht./Wt.: 5-11/170

The scoop on Louie: Yes, he is called "Louie Louie" by his teammates and even likes the catchy summer tune. It seems hard to picture him starting five JV games last fall and having to win a job this summer, but that's where he was before a breakout season. His coach noted a "grow-up" moment in the Hewitt-Trussville game this year. Why does he wear No. 11? Louie, 16, used a tragedy to honor a childhood friend who passed away in a car accident with a drunk driver three years ago. He switched from his old No. 2 to that friend's No. 11. The "Rush Hour 3" fan loves the timing of corner routes he throws and clearly has the arm. Louie said his fastball has been clocked at 86 miles per hour off the mound. He's thrown 24 touchdowns this fall to go with seven interceptions. He loves his English classes and mentioned the “Captain Underpants” books as one of his favorites. He’ll often cook for his parents and listed a beef tips and rice recipe among his go-to dishes.

What he did last Friday: Louie posted career highs in passing and rushing on the road at playoff-bound Pelham. His 302 passing yards were not blemished by a single interception and he threw touchdown passes of 37, 42, 62 and 82 yards. The three-sport athlete completed 14 of his 25 attempts and ran for big gains in key spots despite just two called run plays.

He added 113 rushing yards on 13 carries with a 1-yard scoring plunge. He fumbled two snaps, but ended up getting six yards on each miscue. His 45-yard scramble against man coverage really impressed the Hoover coaches in preparation for their playoff matchup this week.

His coaches said he only made three bad decisions out of 56 snaps in the wild 47-45 win. He left the game with an ankle injury and his backup finished off the victory that saw the Mounties come back from a 35-14 deficit. He does expect to play against Hoover on Friday night.

What Shades Valley coach Bill Smith thinks: “He had a couple runs with spins where I really don't know how he got out of trouble and got away from their guys. I can't take credit for those runs last Friday night and he threw some good deep balls and was accurate on some of his middle balls. ... He kind of reminds me of a skinny 10th-grade version of former Philadelphia Eagle quarterback Randall Cunningham."

In his words: “I’ve just been told by my coaches to keep my eyes on my progressions and kept my feet moving and keep them hot. I try to find the open receivers and take good drops. Then when I am forced out of the pocket I try to use my legs to get some first downs and yards.”

Jeff Sentell covers Birmingham high school sports for The Alabama Media Group and The Birmingham News. Write to him at jsentell@al.com.